Updates Galore!!!

I know, I know...I am a failure. I am a terrible blogger and I suck. :) To be completely honest, my entrance into mommyhood has completely kicked my butt. I have loved every minute of it, and I am completely in love with Owen, but I was not ready for it. I completely underestimated how tired I would be and how little time in the day there would be for anything other than changing diapers, feeding Owen, and napping.

To offer a small explanation (no excuses here), things have been CRAZY, and they are finally starting to settle down. For the first couple of weeks Owen was home, we had a revolving door of guests. It was amazing having the help and so awesome that so many people wanted to meet Owen, but blogging was not a top priority. My parents stayed with us, my sister and most adorable nephew in the world stayed with us, Justin's parents visited quite a bit, our friend Aaron from San Franciso stayed with us a couple of days. Then, came Christmas!! Owen made his first trip to the Promiseland, aka Indiana. We celebrated four Christmases in three days...it was a little crazy, and Owen didn't really handle it too well (mom didn't either!). But, details will follow in it's very own post!

I have a lot of things I want to write about....and a TON of pictures. Justin and I finally broke down and bought ourselves a new camera for Christmas (YAY!), so we have some great pictures to post. Owen is growing so fast!! He will be one month old tomorrow - it's so crazy!!!

I am sorry I have dropped the ball with my updates...I am sure you all have been just dying to see pictures of our super adorable son :) Hopefully you will be able to forgive me, if not, then Owen has something he wants to tell you....

Little buddy is finally here!!!!

So, it's been quite a while since my last post. I am so happy to share with you that means Little buddy has finally made his debut into this world!! He was born last Wednesday, December 3rd at 8:25 a.m. Justin and I were totally wrong in thinking were going to have a beast of a baby - he was just a tiny little guy, weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches.

I could go on and on describing him - he is so perfect! I guess that officially means I am a mommy now - doesn't every parent think his or her child is perfect?!?! But, Little buddy really is perfect! He has a ton of black hair that gets really fuzzy when we give him a bath - it is so adorable. He looks like a little baby penguin. He has super long eyelashes that are beautiful. Although I have absolutely no expectations for this to continue - I hear it's referred to as "the honeymoon phase of parenting",and only lasts about two weeks, he sleeps at night in between feedings. He is so PERFECT!!!

There is so much more I want to share about our first week of being parents, but I am going to heed the advice of many and sleep while the baby is sleeping! I promise to do better at keeping up with the blog now that we have a week under our belt.

Oh yeah - the most important part!! Little buddy now has a name! He is officially Owen Glen Myers (although I have a feeling many will call him Little buddy for a while!) :)

Here are some pictures of our little peanut!

The happy little Myers family

Cassie and Owen after a long day!

Daddy checking in on Owen

Owen's official weigh-in

All cozy on the way home

Owen after his first bath with his fuzzy head.

The weekly report...

This morning, Justin and I made our weekly trek to the doctor's office.  Unfortunately, I still don't have anything too significant to report.  I think we are going to have to change Little buddy's nickname to Little stinkpot (that's the G-rated version) or something! :)  The doctor did say he would maybe give me a half of a finger-tip of dilation, but I really think he was just trying to be nice!  

Some good did come from the appointment,  however.  We got a little more definite timeline and plan of things to come.  Next Tuesday - assuming he hasn't come yet -  we have a whole slew of tests to go through (not really - two).  We have an ultrasound scheduled that will make sure Little buddy has enough amniotic fluid for his growing body.  They haven't measured him, but based on how I feel and how I (can't) breathe, we don't have to worry about him being too small!  They will also do a non-stress test for Little buddy.  They will attach a monitor to my belly and basically just monitor his heart for 20 or so minutes just to make sure he's doing alright.  If either of those two tests come back unfavorably, they will go ahead and send me to the hospital.  

If Little buddy makes us all wait until the last possible minute, the doctor said it would most likely be Thursday (Dec. 4th) or Friday (Dec. 5th) that they would get things going.  "Get things going", by the way, means having a vaginal suppository - can't tell you how exited I am for that! After that, it's just a waiting game.  Hopefully he doesn't make us wait too long!!  

Since we don't have any pictures of our beautiful baby boy to post yet, I'll show off our nursery. We are really happy with the way it turned out!  It is so comfortable and we really like being in it.  We can't wait to finally bring Little buddy home to it!   

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!  We'll be keeping you posted!!  

Today is "d" day...

Today is Little buddy's "official" due day (November 24), but I don't think he's coming anytime soon!  He is just way too warm and comfy in this womb of mine.  Justin and I are growing more and more anxious by the minute, but are definitely trying to enjoy these last few days as a couple, instead of a family of three!  

My 28th birthday came and went last Thursday without my extra-special birthday present (Little buddy coming a few days early), but Justin made sure I had a great day anyway!  He is such an amazing husband...I can't wait to see him be a dad!  He took me out to lunch, which is a special treat for me, and always makes my day!  And the gift he got for me was a huge surprise, and something I was VERY excited about!  This past September when we were in Arizona, we both had massages at a very nice spa at the resort next to the villas where we were staying.  This resort has the nicest, most comfortable robes I had ever put on my body in my entire life.  I think I kind of contemplated stuffing it in my bag before I left the spa, if I remember correctly - it was that amazing!  After our massages, both Justin and I talked about how great the massage was, but how amazing the robes were!  So, sometime between September and now, Justin contacted the spa and ordered a robe for me and the entire time I had no idea until I opened it last week!  I think the only time I have not had the thing on is in the shower and to go in public :)  

I also have to share one more quick birthday surprise that made me laugh a lot last week.  I received a Cookie Bouquet from my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Charleston.  First of all, the cookies were awesome, so I highly recommend a cookie bouquet if you ever want to send one...second, the bouquet was HILARIOUS :)  Here is a picture of it:

In case you can't read the top cookie, it says "Hope your birthday's a real BLAST".  The card attached said "...and by blast, we hope your water breaks!"  It made me laugh really hard.  Unfortunately, my water did not break :(  

I have one more picture I will share today...of my freaking cute nephew Jonah.  I figure one of these days when our baby actually decides he wants to enter this world, there won't be so much room to post pictures of Jonah, so I want to take advantage of all I can now :)  He is so darn cute (and getting so big!), and I have to say...I love the outfit!  

It's so nice and warm in here, mom!

I think Little buddy must be sensing the freezing cold weather, and is definitely in no big hurry to deal with it!  I went into today's appointment optimistically, even though I hadn't really been feeling any "different".  My doctor gave me a double dose of optimism when she told me about one of her patients who went in on Monday and was not dilated at all and was not thinned out at all, and had her baby the very next day!  I was like "Hallelujah - I might get this guy out in time after all!!"  And then the exam began...

We started out listening to the heartbeat.  Check.  Measuring my belly.  Check.  Now the fun part...the internal exam.  Still not dilated, still not effaced.  UGH!!!  Then, my doctor decided she wanted to do a quick ultrasound because she could not feel any pressure from the little dude's head.  She wanted to make sure he was head down and not breech.  I will not lie to you, at this point, a small part of me was like, "ooh...maybe he will be breech, and they will be like 'okay, he's breech, you're 39 1/2 weeks, let's just go ahead and do a c-section'".  We went in and had a quick scan, and our little guy is head down - just really high and one stubborn little fart. 

I am trying really hard not to get too discouraged.  For the most part, I am still relatively comfortable.  Justin and I have been having some trouble sleeping together (not that kind of "sleeping together", perverts!)  We just seem to have some trouble "running into each other" while we are sleeping.  I woke up twice the other night to Justin asking me to move - one time nicely, the other time not so much - he basically picked up my arm and tossed it to the other side of the bed :)  I have some back pain, but Justin has been awesome at giving me back rubs whenever I ask (and even when I don't!).  I am just so anxious to meet the little guy I can hardly take it!  It's also been hard because there are TWO people I know that have had due dates a week later than mine that have already had their babies.  

Hopefully we'll have some more exciting news for you soon...

I've been tagged!

One of my best friends Karrie (check out her blog here) has "blog tagged" me.  What is "blog tag", you ask?!?!  (I might actually be making that phrase up, but oh well!)  On her blog, Karrie was "tagged", and filled out a questionnaire, and when she was done, she "tagged" me, so now you all get to read my filled out questionnaire!  How fun!  :)  I am really excited about this, because it comes at the perfect time!  I was totally running out of things to write about...there are only so many weeks you can write about your stupid doctor telling you that your stupid baby isn't coming anytime soon!  Justin gets mad at me when I call Little buddy names, but maybe one day when he has a baby inside of him punching him continuously in the side,  he'll get it!  

So, here is my "8 Things Tag".  I think I will change some of the rules throughout, because I am not sure everything will apply perfectly to me.  It's just easier to make up my own rules than to actually have to use my brain, and I only have a few more days (or maybe weeks at this rate) to pull the "I am pregnant; I get to do whatever I want" card, so I am going to take advantage of it! 

8 Favorite Baby Products - The original topic for this one was 8 Favorite TV Programs, but Karrie changed it to her 8 Favorite Baby Products.  Since Little Buddy is not here yet, and I do not know what will end up being my 8 Favorite Baby Products, and TV Programs are definitely something Justin and I know a thing or two about, I will do a hybrid of the two and do my 4 Most Anticipated Baby Products/4 Favorite TV Programs.

1. Tiny Love Monkey Island Activity Mat - Although I am sure any activity mat would be fine, this just happened to be the one we registered for.  I love talking to Katie and listening to Jonah talk and talk and talk while he is playing on his activity mat.  I can't wait for that!
2. Baby Bjorn/Wraps - We registered for both a Baby Bjorn and a wrap.  I am sure we will use both, depending on the situation, and I am not sure which we will prefer, but I can't wait to try these out!
3. Dutailier Glider - This is the glider we have in the nursery, and it is sooooo unbelievably comfortable!  I can't wait to sit in it and nurse and read books to Little Buddy.  There are a lot of times now when I just sit in it and think about how our lives are about to change!
4. Any and all of the toys - I know we have so many more things that are essential to his survival (and mom and dad's sanity), but right now I am just looking forward to having the little guy here and playing with him, and seeing him smile (I know I have a few months for that, but that is what is getting me through these last few days of torture!)
5. Friday Night Lights - It is worth paying a little extra for DirecTV just for Friday Night Lights and Tim Riggins.  LOVE IT!!!
   
6. Lost - I can't wait for 2009!!  
   
7. 24 - Even though the last few seasons have sucked, I still have faith in Jack Bauer!  
   
8. The Office/30 Rock - Two of the only shows that I laugh out loud while watching.  Justin gets really mad when I don't laugh out loud.  I think he thinks there is something wrong with me???
   

8 Favorite Things To Do with Baby Myers - This is another one I think I am going to change the "rules"...I obviously will have to a little bit, because Baby Myers is not here :)  The original topic was 8 Favorite Restaurants (which is again something Justin and I know a little about since we practically eat out every meal), so again I will create a hybrid topic and do 4 Most Anticipated Things to Do with Baby Myers and 4 Favorite Restaurants

1. Watching Justin and him bond - just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
2. Taking him to his first sporting event - I don't know what this will be...a basketball game or baseball game, maybe??
3. Reading to him - We are planning on starting this as soon as he's here, and I can't wait for him to be here so we can sit together as a family and read together.
4. Getting peed on - okay, maybe I only want this to happen once, but I feel like it's just a rite of passage for new parents!  :)  
5. Bennihana - If only Bennihana liked my stomach...
6. The Precinct - A delicious steak restaurant in Cincinnati.  The filet melts in your mouth!!
7. Montgomery Inn - Another Cincinnati favorite - and to think, I  never ate ribs until I had Montgomery Inn.
8. Kickin' Chicken - This is one of our favorite places to go when we visit Katie and Ben in Charleston.  I CRAVE sandwiches from there...i actually wish I hadn't thought about it....

8 Things that have Happened Today - Since it's still relatively early (it's before lunch!), this one might be kind of hard to come up with 8 things, but I will give it a whirl.  If I can't think of 8 things I've done today, I'll throw some things in from this weekend.  

1. Ate Breakfast - a bowl of Raisin Nut Bran and a glass of OJ
2. Watched a deer in the backyard - I could do this all day.  I love it...if only they didn't eat the plants.
3. Talked to Katie on the phone - and listened to Jonah coo and talk (this is really why I call her!  Just kidding!)
4. Caught up with some old friends on Facebook - one of my new favorite things to do!
5. Went to the bathroom about 1,389 times.  
6. Wrote some Thank You notes  - I am almost done...YAY!!
7. Thought about all of the stuff we still need to do before Little buddy gets here
8. Freaked out about all the stuff we still need to do before Little buddy gets here

8 Things I look forward to

1. Welcoming our son into the world
2. Christmas - I love Christmas anyway, and this year with so many new babies in the family, it is going to be exponentially more awesome
3. My birthday - I will be 28 on Thursday (maybe I'll get an extra special birthday present this year?!?!) :)
4. Kristen (my sister-in-law) and Chris's wedding - sometime in March 2009!!!  
5. September 2009 - our first Burton family vacation with babies in tow.  Jonah will be 13 months, Little buddy will be 10 months!
6. January 31, 2009 - But, it's a surprise!!!  :)
7. Getting labor over with - I have really started to dread this
8. Being a mommy!

8 Things on my Wish List (material and not)

1. A healthy baby boy - I guess it would alright if they were wrong, and he ended up being a she!
2. A short, easy delivery - do these even exist?!?!  hey - it's a "wish" list right???
3. A new camera - our old one is nice...we've just had it for a long time, and it's time for an upgrade.
4. Money/Resources/Knowledge/Time/Etc to get everything fixed with our house that we want - I LOVE our house, but there are a few little things that need fixed, and a few bigger projects we want to do.  I hate having things lingering over our heads (particularly a healthy yard free of moles).  
5. I wish we were more involved in church - we have finally found a church we really love; we have been going there for a while, and I would like to find an area were we both can get involved.  
6. IU basketball's return to greatness, led by Coach Tom Crean - a decent football team would be nice, too!
7. The  US economy's return to greatness - what a great time for the economy to tank...just when we are increasing our family!!
8. A healthy baby boy - it can't hurt to wish twice, can it?

8 People to Tag - You all are lucky, because I do not know very many people with blog to tag, so I am just going to name a few.  Feel free to change the rules however you want...  : )

1. Katie N
2. Amanda W
3. Alison M
4. Krista F - I know you don't even have a blog, but this is a great opportunity to start one - and I've already given you a topic for your first post...how perfect! :)
5. Joselyn T - I know you just moved to the other side of the world, but Africa can wait :)

...and I'm done!  Whew, that was a long one!  My next doctor's appointment is Wednesday, so hopefully I will have some exciting news later on in the week!  

3 weeks and counting...

Still  no big news after the doctor's appointment today :(  Little buddy is doing great: good strong heartbeat, head is still down and low, and he is good and comfy right where he is!  My cervix might as well be sewn shut, however - not even a hint of an opening!  

Things for mom and dad are going alright, too.  I am getting increasingly uncomfortable.  Not a day goes by without Justin making fun of my "Darth Vader breathing".  I also have had to move my wedding ring to a necklace because my fingers got too fat last weekend.  I actually had to put my hand in the freezer for about 2 minutes in order to get my ring off!  It totally freaked me out, so I decided I didn't want to take any chances after that!  We finally started childbirth classes last night!  We learned some interesting things, and it was awesome watching Justin have to put on the pregnancy belly!  We found out that we are totally slacker parents-to-be, though.  Our due date is in three weeks - everyone else's was like the middle of January (one was even in March!!).  We have two more weeks of the class, so hopefully we'll make it through the rest - next week's is by far the most important, I think - pain management!! :)

We actually do have some semi-big baby news to share.  We have (finally) narrowed down our name choice!  We have at least a Final Four, and most likely a Final Two!  Unfortunately for you all, we aren't sharing :)  It has taken us a very stressful, head-spinning 37 weeks to even narrow our name search, so we don't want to be swayed by second-guessed looks on the faces of our family and friends if we were to share. :)  I will give you two small hints - one of the names is from our previous name post , and the other is a new name.  

And last but not least, because our little guy is not here to dote on yet, I am going to dote on my unbelievably adorable nephew, Jonah :)  He's growing up so fast - I can't wait for him and Little buddy to play together!  

Jonah rocked the vote - or at least made sure his mommy did! :)

Such a smiley, happy baby!

Jonah at the pumpkin patch

The cutest turtle in the world!

4 weeks to go!!!

I can't believe we only have four more weeks...it is so crazy!  Hopefully if Little buddy is a tiny bit cooperative it will be less than four weeks, but we shall see :)  I had another doctor's appointment today, and other than being about 3,000 degrees in the office (why do they do that in an office that predominantly sees pregnant ladies?!?!) things went really well.  Still no dilation (boo) but the doctor indicated that Little buddy had dropped quite a bit and was very low, which was exciting.  It also explains why every time I stand up, I totally feel like I am going to pee my pants!  Our little guy had a good strong heartbeat (about 150 bpm), and the doctor said everything was looking good!  Now if we could just get on with the dilation and effacement!!! :)

This weekend Justin and I took advantage of having absolutely nothing to do (it was the first weekend since the last weekend of AUGUST that we've had nothing going on) to get some baby stuff done and do some yard work.  We raked (yuck!) and Justin mowed for hopefully the last time.  Doing yard work really depresses me, because our yard is a piece of crap.  When we bought our house, the yard was one of my favorite things about it.  The grass was so green and thick, and it was so beautifully landscaped.  It seemed as though we'd have to try to mess it up...

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there were beautiful lillies, clematis, coreopsis, and a lot of hostas.  Fast-forward two summers later, and the grass is dead; the flowers are still there somewhat, but they have very little color.  To be fair to ourselves, Justin doesn't get much help from me in the domestic department (I can't cook, I am not real handy in the yard, etc.) and we've had a lot of help from some little, and not-so-little critters.  We had a huge mole problem, which completely destroyed our front and most of our backyard.  We have a large family of shrews that have made our landscaped area their home for the past year, and we have a ton of deer that enjoy eating our hostas.  In our backyard, we had four or five giant hostas (I am sure there is some official plant name for them - we just call them "the big giant hostas") that no longer exist because the deer have eaten them all!  

I am too embarrassed to show a "now" picture (yes, I will show you a bare-bellied, 31-weeks pregnant picture, but no yard picture!), but Justin and I made it our goal next year to bring our yard back to its glory days!  We are really just hoping to make our front yard presentable again, and we want to get the back yard in swing-set condition for this little guy that is about to grace us with his presence.  :) 

The Final Countdown (Da Na Na Na)

The countdown is officially on - only FIVE more weeks to go (hopefully a little less if our little guy is anything like his cousin Jonah!) I had my first weekly doctor's appointment today, which also began the "internal" exams. I will spare you all the details, and just let you know the results :)

Unfortunately, my cervix hasn't done anything "fun" - I am not dilated or effaced at all. However, Little buddy has flipped around! In our 4-D ultrasound (at week 28), he was completely breech. Now, he is head-down, so he is ready to go! He weighs between 5 to 5 1/2 pounds, but the doctor said he will probably start packing on the pounds in the next few weeks (like mother like son!).

Up until this last week, I have been loving being pregnant. Little buddy has been moving around quite a bit, and it's so fun to watch my belly contort into all sorts of weird shapes. For the most part, he hangs out over on the right side of my belly, but sometimes he will venture over to the left and give my right side a break! I have had a lot more energy in the beginning of the third trimester than I had during any other time. I had always read the second trimester would be my energetic time, but I had NO energy at all throughout my entire first and second trimester. I definitely made up for it, though! The nursery is almost put together (I am saving pics for when it is all done - sorry!), the bassinet is set up in our bedroom, he has clean clothes that have been put away; we have really been busy these last few weeks!

Then, week 34 hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been bragging about being able to sleep - not so much anymore. I now wake up pretty consistently at about 3:30 and toss and turn until about 7:30. I have heartburn like you wouldn't believe - it basically feels like a flaming ball of vomit lives in my throat about 10 hours a day. I have Tums stashed in every corner of the house and both of our cars. I have never been so excited in my life for the weather to get cold! When it is hot outside, my feet swell to the point where I can't even bend my ankles to walk. (Luckily, I have only experienced this twice - I don't see how pregnant people survive in the summer!) I am so thankful to be pregnant in the fall! I have had to stop wearing my engagement ring...I do manage to still squeeze into my wedding band (on most days), so I feel like I avoid the stink eye from the old ladies at the grocery store.

I don't think I would be able to make it through all of this without Justin. He has been amazing throughout everything. He gives me nightly foot and/or back rubs. He doesn't make fun of me (too much, at least) when I have to grunt to tie my shoes or grunt to get off the couch or grunt to get into bed :). He lets us eat where and what I want to eat for dinner, even though it may be something he doesn't like. He has made this whole experience infinitely easier on me!!

Oh, Bloomington...how I miss you!

This past weekend, Justin and I made the trek back to IU for a football game. There are so many things I love about going back to Bloomington. First of all - it's in Indiana! I love coming home to Indiana. There is just something so comfortable to me about being in Indiana. I also love going back to Bloomington because it brings back so many great memories.  I spent the last two years of college at IU, and it was such an amazing time. We had so many great friends and so many great times! It was such a pivotal time in my life, and I definitely would not be who I am today without my time at IU. It was also such an important time in my relationship with Justin. I did not meet Justin at IU, but it was definitely where our relationship was able to grow and mature. Another thing I love about Bloomington (and perhaps the most important to an 8-month pregant lady)...the FOOD!! There are so many places we used to eat quite frequently, and just don't have the opportunity. Unfortunately, one of our favorite places, Macri's, is no longer open (WTH?!?!), but we were able to go to plenty of places to satisfy our IU food cravings...Irish Lion, The Village Deli, Yogi's, PIZZA EXPRESS (I love this place so much, we have even ordered it carry-out and eaten it in the car on the way from Bloomington to Columbus).

Super excited about some Pizza Express

The father of my child :)

The main reason for our trip was to see our friends Jori and Meg, and to go to the football game. 

Jori and Meg at the football game

The one picture I took of the game.  Crazy enough - this was also the play IU scored their one touchdown.  Maybe I should have taken more pictures!

We thought maybe, just maybe, we would see a win, since they were playing Iowa, a team that wasn't great, but we were sadly mistaken. The game was ugly! IU ended up losing 45-9. The unfortunate highlight of the game for me was when I won a bet the four of us had. The bet was how many plays it would take for Iowa to score a touchdown from roughly the 30-yard line. I choose 4 plays, and when the running-back ran the ball in from the 9-yard line on the fourth play, and I stood up and started cheering, we decided it was probably time to go ahead and leave! :)

This game has posed a very difficult parenting question for Justin and me. We have come to the conclusion that Justin (and probably me, but only a little bit :) is a jinx. Every team he roots for is awful. The Bengals, the Reds, IU football, IU basketball has had a rough go of it lately, even reality show competitors...once Justin starts rooting for them, they are done for. So...here is the parenting dilemma...will it be easier to explain to our son why every team he ever plays for always loses, or will it just be easier to explain why his daddy is rooting for the other team?? Hmmm....

What the Beck(ham)?!?!

Alright, I will admit it.  I am slightly obsessed with David Beckham.  Do I sigh or let out a slight "Mmmm" every time I see his picture in People magazine?  Yes. :) Do I gently caress my finger down his abs in the magazine page when there is a picture of him shirtless?  Sometimes - but only to annoy Justin :).  But, that is where my obssession stops.  I don't know every single detail about his life; I don't have any posters of him; I don't buy things specifically with him on it or anything (I already have a subscription to People).  I'm not that pathetic :)  

This weekend, Justin and I had the opportunity to go see the LA Galaxy (Beckham's team) play the Columbus Crew, and it was awesome!!  Tickets were pretty difficult to get, unless you wanted to scalp or buy like a three game package.  But, my Uncle Michael had a hookup and was able to get us tickets for just that game (Thanks, Uncle Michael!!).  We went in thinking we weren't going to have very good seats, but, we sat in the THIRD row, BEHIND THE GALAXY BENCH.  David Beckham didn't even come close to the bench, but that's okay, because we got to see a lot of him anyway.  The first half he was on the other side of the field, but throughout the second half, he was really close to us, and I was in heaven! :)  

Our camera totally sucked.  Which I was pissed about, until Justin finally admitted he thought we were ready for a new camera, too.  Our camera has served us well, but we've had it for almost four years, and I want a really nice one for when Little buddy comes.  I think he finally realized our camera needed to be laid to rest when our cell phones took better pictures than our actual camera.  Needless to say, here are some of the pictures we were able to get - the subject matter still looks good :)

The highlight of the game for me was about midway through the first half when Beckham reaches up through the bottom of his shorts to pick a wedge - with his butt facing our side.  I think I saw almost half his left butt cheek.  It was a miracle!!!  :)

Justin and I actually both really enjoyed the game.  It was amazing watching Landon Donovan play (he was freaking awesome) and it was fun seeing some fellow former Hoosiers on the field!  It was also fun, because Little buddy seemed to enjoy the game as well :)  He was a lot more active than usual.  Maybe he could sense the excitement of the stadium or something.  This weekend we are going to Bloomington to watch IU play Iowa - it will be interesting to see if he gets excited there too! :)

It's been a while!

It's been quite a while since my last update (unfortunately there's not a whole lot to update!).  Although, there has been good reason for my absence.  I spent last week in Indiana with this little guy...the world's cutest nephew (it's official).

Jonah and Katie were in town last week visiting and hosting a shower for Little buddy and me.  Aunt Katie sure knows how to throw a kick-butt shower!  It was great getting family and friends together to help celebrate the soon-to-be arrival of Little buddy!  Big surprise - I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures of the shower (lame, I know), but my aunt did pass along this picture she took of Justin and me afterwards and I was able to scan it.  It's one of the most recent pictures I have of "Pregnant Cassie", and it definitely shows the McDonald's is catching up :(  

(No, we didn't match on purpose)

The rest of the week we basically just played and hung out.  It is amazing how fast Jonah is growing up!  He is smiling a lot now and laughing.  He is getting so close to holding his head up.

 I think the one of the best parts of being around Katie and Jonah, though, is seeing what a wonderful mom Katie is becoming.  She is such an inspiration to me, and I am so thankful I have her to lean on when I embark on this crazy think they call mommyhood in a few short weeks!  

One more thing that I really loved about last week (and I am about to do something I don't often do - get all sappy), is see how much of an interest Justin took in Jonah.  I consider myself literally one of the luckiest women in the world to have snagged a guy like Justin.  There are many, MANY times I wonder what exactly it is he sees in me.  There are so many amazing things he does, but seeing how he acts with Jonah makes me so excited to how he will be with our own child.  There were so many times last week Justin mentioned how excited he was for Little buddy to get here, and it just warms my heart so much!  I think Justin is going to be such a fantastic dad, and I can't wait!!!

I think Jonah likes Uncle Justin, too!!

Here are some more pictures from the week:

Jonah's big toothless smile :)

Jonah's first Halloween costume.  Isn't he the cutest turtle ever?!?!

Jonah and Aunt Cassie.  I think he's scared of me or something!

For your viewing un-pleasure

As promised last week, I braved the camera, and had Justin take a couple of pictures of my growing belly. We pretty much forgot to take any pictures last week on vacation, let alone the "official" 30-week pictures, so instead, we have official 31-week pictures. For those of you with weak stomachs, you may want to look away :)

30 weeks down...10 to go!

That's right, folks...only 10 more weeks until we meet this little buddy of ours! I have to admit, the first 30 weeks have gone unbelievable fast for the most part, and we are really hoping the last 10 go that fast as well. We have a super busy fall coming up, so hopefully that will help. I have a couple of showers coming up, so it will be good seeing family and friends I haven't seen in a while, and we are going to IU for a football game so we will be seeing friends and visiting Bloomington. We are also going to a Columbus Crew/LA Galaxy game, where I will get to see the second love of my life...David Beckham :) I am in a wedding in October - when I will be 35 weeks pregnant...so I will be waddling down the aisle!! And I saved the best for last...Katie and Jonah will be coming to Indiana in a couple of weeks, so we will get to see how much Nephew Newt has grown. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there we have to finish the preparations for the arrival of our little guy!!

This week, we are in Phoenix with Justin's parents taking advantage of our last vacation as a family of two. Little buddy has made it difficult for me to relax, however...he has failed to adjust to the 3-hour time change, so we wake up every morning at 4:30 and are ready for bed at 7:30 and also some morning sickness has begun to rear its ugly head again! Great timing!! Regardless, we have big plans for the week that should keep us VERY busy...yesterday we watched the Bengals attempt to play football (very weird watching NFL at 10:00 am!), and the Reds (holy cow - they are still playing baseball?!?!) are actually playing the Diamondbacks, so we went to the game after the Bengals disgusting display of football.

We have our camera and will be taking a lot of pictures for updates (including a 30-week belly shot, if I am brave enough, and can get one that doesn't make me look too fat :). I forgot the cord that hooks the camera up to the computer, though, so as disappointed as I am sure you all are, the pictures will have to wait until next week.

Pregnancy Cravings

Um...I heart McDonalds!!. If Justin would let me, I think I might be able to eat it every night. There is just something about a big, juicy quarter pounder with cheese (minus the onion), golden french fries, and even a thirst-quenching diet coke (once I got past the first trimester, I allotted myself one caffeinated beverage per day) that I can't get enough of!

I have read in my pregnancy books/magazines/websites/etc that sometimes you should give into your cravings because often times, it is your body telling you it is deficient in something. For example, sometimes vegetarian women may crave meat - this is their body telling them it is low on iron and protein. Apparently, my body must be lacking in grease and sodium, because I have been craving McDonalds like none other!

Unfortunately, my body isn't responding well to my love for McDonalds :(. My back has become one giant fat roll, my arms no longer have any definition, my lower body looks like a weeble wobble (or whatever those toys are that have round bottoms that just roll around!), and when I smile, my cheeks are so chubby, it looks like someone is pushing them together!!! I feel like an oompa loompa or something.

For those of you who are already thinking you need to call social services because Justin and I are going to be abusive parents, don't worry, I do eat lots of healthy foods! :) I have been craving bell peppers really bad - I eat multiple entire peppers per week. Green ones, yellow ones, and red ones! I can't get enough!

It will be interesting to see how Little buddy's taste buds develop once he is here and as he grows!

Hooray...he's not an alien!!!

After meeting Nephew Newt and hearing about Justin's cousin Laura's awesome experience with a 4D ultrasound, we decided to fork out the money and go for it.  We just couldn't wait 12 more weeks to meet our little guy!  We wanted to see what he looked like, see how he was growing, and make sure he was indeed a little dude, and not a little dudette!  I actually think that was more a concern of mine...for some reason I had a giant fear we were going to go in, and they were going to be like, "Um, you are an idiot...you're having a girl."  

Thankfully, he was indeed a boy - we have the pictures to prove it, but I will spare him the embarrassment of posting it on the internet for all to see!  He also was not an alien.  :)  In our 20 week ultrasound, he totally looked like an alien!  Check out the pictures in our very first post to see for yourself.  It was kind of scary!

Some other things we found out about our Little buddy...

• We might need to change his name to Big buddy!  He is a chunky monkey!  He has at least one super chunky cheek already (that we could see) and he even has a fat roll!  And he's only about 2 1/2 pounds!!  Just wait until he's 8 or so pounds!  
• He is currently in a frank breech position, meaning his head is up and he is butt down.  He should be the other way around!  Hopefully we can get him to flip around (although, we have plenty of time!)
• He kept his legs crossed and completely in front of his face the entire time.  In fact, his toes were almost digging into his forehead throughout the ultrasound.  He did not want to be moved - what a stubborn little guy!
• He also kept his left arm curled up in front of his face nearly the entire time.  It made it difficult to get some good face shots, but we managed to get a few.  He even gave us a quick grin!

Now for what you really want to see... :)

Here he has his big toe smashing into his forehead...yes, that thing coming out of his head is his toe!!!

Here he's flashing gang signs.  Just kidding :)  He's just saying "hi" to everyone!

Take a look at that chubby little cheek!!  McDonalds and Chipotle are doing his body good.

Here is his precious little grin :)  For all you IU fans, he is also practicing his first down cheer for when he goes to his first football game next fall.

We hope you enjoyed your first glance at Little buddy...we sure did!  It makes us super excited for the next 12 weeks.  We can't wait to meet the little guy!  

A busy baby week!

We have had a busy baby week (hence the name of the title).  :)  I could probably write a post about each one separately, but you all would probably rather have multiple root canals than read about each one in depth, so we'll do a quick recap instead.  

Tuesday night, we participated in Round 1 of registering.  Yuck is all I can say! :)  I suppose it was a little fun picking out all of the stuff Little buddy will soon be using, but it was stressful!! We spent a good 20-30 minutes looking at the car seats and strollers!  And after 3 entire hours, we had only completed about 60% of our registry.

Wednesday night, we picked up our nursery furniture (we ordered a crib and a dresser).  When we ordered it, we were quoted a shipping time of 10-14  weeks.  We got a call three weeks after ordering it that it had arrived!  We had some trouble tracking down a pick-up truck to use to pick the furniture up, but we were finally able to get it.  Once we opened the boxes to admire our brand-new, beautiful nursery furniture, this is what we found...

That's right...a great big, ginormous explosion of crap that is supposed to be the corner.  And, I didn't even post a picture of the drawer that was messed up and causing damage to the other side of the dresser.  Needless to say, Sam at Treehouse Kids Co., and I are not exactly the best of friends at the moment :)  

On to things that are fun and actually went well...My dad came over from Columbus (my mom was down in SC visiting grandson #1a), and we took advantage of the three day weekend to work on the nursery for grandson #1b.  The room had actually been our guest room, but we emptied it out a while ago.  Unfortunately, because I am pregnant and all of my brain cells don't currently function, I didn't take a "before" picture when it was set up as a bedroom.  However, we do have an empty "before" picture...

You may be thinking "Oh, how convenient...they are having a boy, and the room is already painted blue!"  That would have been way too convenient, however!!  As you will see, we did paint the room, blue, twice actually (funny story), but a different shade of blue.  I still don't think Justin understand the difference, but it looks way better!  Here is the transformation to our newly painted nursery (we still have MANY finishing touches, and we aren't even close to being finished, so the completely finished nursery pics will have to wait!)...

Moon Shadow Myers...hmmm????

So, we have found one of the hardest parts about being expectant parents is figuring out this whole naming-of-our-child-thing. Yes, it maybe even harder than dealing with my emotions! For some insane reason, I just thought we would open the book containing 100,001 Baby Names, and "the one" would be flashing at us or dancing around on the page - if only!! It's difficult because we don't want something that every kid will have, but we aren't all about the weirdo-Hollywood names (don't worry, no Pilot Inspektor Myers here). There are so many things to think about - and we have found Myers a difficult name to be paired with!

We thought we would enlist the help of our blog-readers, if there are even any of you out there! I know a few of my family members are reading - although I think it's because of the easy access to pics of Jonah :) My dad has totally admitted it! And my mom and sister have left a comment or two, so I know they were at least reading at one point! So, to the readers of The Myers Family Blog - here is your test...please help us give Little buddy a name!!!

We have a decent list started. Here are the "normal ones" we like (in NO particular order): Joel, Spencer, Owen, Jameson, Elliot, Lincoln, Seth (although, Seth Meyers from SNL - kinda lame)

There is also another list we have. For some reason, we (mainly I) am super particular to Irish/Scottish names (again, in no order): Colin, Liam, Beckett, Kieren, Finley

Our friend Tyler has also been helping us brainstorm. Some of our favorites from him include: Gandalf, Piccachu, Frederick Theodore (i.e. Fred Ted), and Lions Tigers and Bears O Myers.

One thing we definitely know for sure - his last name will be Myers :)

We totally would love and appreciate any thoughts/ideas you all have!!!

This weekend

We had a great time this weekend at Nick and Emily's wedding!  Their wedding and reception was downtown in Indianapolis at the Scottish Rite Cathedral - what an absolutely gorgeous setting for a wedding!!  I loved seeing Justin looking all handsome in his tux (he was in the wedding), and it was fantastic to realize it looks like in addition to my growing belly, it also looks like I have "little buddies" growing in my arms and chin also! 

While Justin was fulfilling his groomsmanly (I'm not sure that is even a word!) duties on Saturday morning/afternoon, I had the opportunity to finally visit my cousin Jessica and her 4-month old son, Zane (dad Brian was coaching football and touring the Colts new stadium).  Zane was due in June, but decided he couldn't wait any longer, so he decided to come 9 weeks early in the middle of April!  I didn't have my camera with me, because that would have made too much sense, but we had such a great visit!  Zane is doing so well, and he is definitely a cutie! He has cute little chubby cheeks and legs, and a cute little dimple in his chin!  I am so glad I finally got to meet him!  

A few minor changes

As I try and figure out the world of blogging, I am sure our blog will have a few small changes here and there.  I know I would like to have a really cool header with our picture and stuff like some of my friends blogs, but I have no clue how to do that.  I may have to enlist the help of one of my friends, who I consider a Queen of Blogs :)  So, KJT - be ready for the call one of these days! 

I have figured out how to make a few small changes, though!  I am going to make my pictures a little bit bigger - Jonah (and I am sure Little buddy will be this way too!) is just way too stinkin' cute to have to squint to look at!!  So, I actually even updated the post below in case you wanted to get a better look :)  You should be able to click on the pictures to make them bigger, but I don't know why this isn't working :(  

Small change number two - anyone can now add a comment!  I guess the default setting for leaving a comment is for Google members only, but I changed it, so now for all of you who have been DYING to tell me how unbelievably adorable my nephew is, the floor is open!!  

This weekend, Justin and I are going to Indianapolis for a wedding.  I am really looking forward to it - it should be a lot of fun!  Minus the fact I won't be able to have a glass of wine, I will get winded after dancing the Cha-Cha slide after 20 seconds, and I will actually have to wear real clothes and put on make-up instead of wearing my normal outfit of a t-shirt and sweatpants!  But, seriously, I am really looking forward to this weekend - Nick and Emily met like a week after Justin and I did (about 7 1/2 years ago!) and have been great friends of ours.  We are really happy for them, and have been looking forward to this for a long time.  

More of Jonah

After being away from home for more than a week and a half, I reluctantly made my way back to Cincinnati yesterday.  Justin and my dad drove to Charleston to meet Jonah on Friday, and then Justin had to turn around and drive home yesterday and bring me with him.  I think I cried until Columbia.  Maybe not quite that far, but for a good 30 minutes, which is funny, because for the six years Katie has lived in South Carolina, I have never cried when I have had to leave her. 

Jonah is the most precious little guy I have ever been around!  I am sure come November, Jonah will become the second most precious little guy I have ever been around, but until then....he is amazing!  He literally never cries, he loves to cuddle, he makes the funniest little faces, he makes some pretty funny sounds, too...coming from both ends.  Uncle Justin found that one out the hard way!  

I took about 3,000 pictures last week, but here are a few of my favorite.

Aren't I the sweetest looking guy you've ever seen? :)

"Why can't someone put me in this swing the right way?!?!"

Jonah letting everyone know who the boss of the house is now!

A Clemson fan already... we need to get him some Hoosier gear!!

Uncle Justin getting some practice

Jonah and Aunt Cassie about 3 seconds before I started sobbing!

Jonah meets his cousin, Little buddy

Introducing....

Jonah Matthew Newton

Little Jonah sleeping away. He likes to sleep and poop. He did plenty of both all day!

Proud Mama and Jonah

The Happy Newton Family

Mom, Dad, and Baby are doing great! Everyone is a little tired, but that is to be expected. It definitely makes me even more excited to meet our Little buddy. I think he was getting a little jealous when I was holding Jonah - he started kicking him! A little cousin rivalry already!!